22% Increase in Sales with a Cup of Coffee

Trying to find ways to grow your sales? Try a free cup of coffee.

One initiative I tried with a QSR client of mine was to give away free coffee during breakfast hours. The restaurant competes directly with QSR breakfast category leader, McDonald's. To make matters worse, the location is down the street from McDonald's and a bit tucked away--not ideal for capturing traffic coming off the highway.

So I recommended they give away coffee for free. That's right. Free.

Coffee is a low cost item for this concept so the cost of goods was not a factor. We utilized a sign waver at the main intersection for a couple of weeks so labor cost increased slightly. But the bump in sales more than compensated for the extra labor.

In fact, the bump in sales was a healthy 22%.

Better yet, the increase in sales sustained beyond the promotion. And if sales dip again, the store is prepared to roll out this easy promotion any time they need it.

For your small business, can you create buzz and traffic with a low cost and high value item? Is there a cup of coffee you can offer your prospects to get them in the door?

Free is a powerful concept. Leveraged well, free can move your business to the next level.